In the past few years it seems that some winery’s marketing plans read like this:

1. Make everything in tiny lots that are hard to find (or at least tell the public you only made a small amount)
2. Charge a healthy (or obscene) amount for it
3. When sold, make the customer feel like they are lucky to have found the hidden gem

I won’t comment too much on the first two because, really, everyone has their own ways of marketing.  Some wines are small lots and certainly pricing is something every winery has to determine, but I have never understood the third part of the plan.

For years when I have heard customers say “We were so lucky to have gotten that bottle of X from Winery Y” or “I was allowed to buy two rather than just one bottle” or “I didn’t have an appointment but they let me buy it anyway.” All I can think of is “Wow.  Isn’t Winery Y lucky to have gotten the $40+ out of YOU?”

The customer, in case we are forgetting something, is the one on the side of the counter holding the cash or credit card.  The seller is the one on the side of the counter handing over the wine.

Wine can be a luxury item and yes there is scarcity built into it because, let’s face it, you can only squeeze a finite amount of juice from a grape, but remembering who is on which side of the counter is always the best marketing plan.